Gwaze on trial for rape and murder of niece
A 10-year-old Christchurch girl was murdered after a vicious sexual attack by her uncle, the Crown alleged in court today.But the defence of Zimbabwean immigrant George Gwaze claim his niece Charlene...
View Article'Genuine gentle giant' bus driver remembered
A Lower Hutt bus driver who died while on the job on Friday night has been remembered by his son as a "genuine gentle giant".The circumstances of Herman Curry's death remain unclear after police...
View ArticleSmall community hit by five-year-old's death
The small Nelson community of Tapawera is reeling from the death of a 5-year-old girl in a motorcycle crash, the school's principal says.Sarah Melissa Joanne MacDonald lost control of a small...
View ArticleBanks denies thanking Dotcom
Act leader John Banks has denied thanking Kim Dotcom for a pair of $25,000 donations to his 2010 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty.Dotcom claims he made a $50,000 donation to Mr Banks campaign after...
View ArticleMan defends 'shark surfing'
Two men who made a video of a friend surfing on the carcass of a shark being towed behind a boat and posted it on Facebook have defended their actions.Mark Collins said he regretted his decision to...
View ArticleNorthland thieves target live power lines
Desperate thieves are putting lives at risk by stealing copper from live power lines.Foolhardy thieves have stripped copper from Northpower lines in Whangarei six times in the last two weeks.The thefts...
View ArticleMan caught drink driving twice in one day
A 23-year-old Taupo man has been caught drink driving twice in the space of 14 hours, police say.The man was tested at one-and-a-half times the legal breath-alcohol limit when his car was stopped a...
View ArticleWitness 'haunted' by memory of dog shooting
A man who said he watched 33 of his friend's dogs being shot by two neighbours has been "haunted'' by the memory for two years, a court has been told.Richard Hawkings told Auckland District Court today...
View ArticleParents need to keep a closer eye on kids around water - coroner
A coroner has called for adults to take greater responsibility for supervising children near water after an inquest into the drowning death of a toddler near Gisborne.Sukhraj Singh, 2, and his cousin...
View ArticleChristchurch mayor to tour South Korea, Israel
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker is to visit South Korea and Israel for eight days.He will leave this Thursday, returning to Christchurch on Friday May 11.While in South Korea, Mr Parker will travel to...
View ArticleCellphone payment for public transport to be trialled
Paying for public transport could be as easy as tapping your cellphone as a trial gets underway next month in Auckland.The trial will see 30 staff from six organisations - Telecom, Auckland Transport,...
View ArticleBryce Edwards: Political round-up: Banks and Dotcom
Something is rotten in the state of New Zealand politics. That at least will be the public's verdict on the latest political finance scandal involving government minister John Banks and his extremely...
View Article'Scary' drunk driver shocks others
A man's drunken drive through a notorious Bay of Plenty black spot was so shocking, police say it's incredible no one was killed.Police fielded multiple complaints about a Tauranga-bound vehicle...
View ArticleMist at Sir Peter's mansion defies explanation
A strange mist that appeared at Sir Peter Jackson's three-storey Wairarapa mansion has defied explanation.A caretaker called firefighters to the director's Masterton estate, after a fire alarm was set...
View ArticleLeaving lighters near kids 'like loaded gun'
Firefighters have compared leaving lighters near children to "giving them a loaded gun" after a blaze started by a toddler left an Opotoki man with severe burns on the weekend.The 34-year-old man...
View ArticleTough new immigration laws on the cards
Tough new laws aimed at stopping mass arrivals of asylum seekers to New Zealand are set to be introduced by Government.Prime Minister John Key this afternoon said changes to the Immigration Act would...
View ArticleFirefighters battle large scrub fire in Upper Hutt
Emergency services are battling a large scrub fire near a privately run rail station in Upper Hutt.Police said the blaze had broken out behind the Silverstream Steam Railway Station.The fire was...
View Article'Missing' man's family could face charges
West Coast police say they may charge the family of a Christchurch man who ran away from them in the middle of a storm, prompting an exhaustive two-day search of the Cobden lagoon.West Coast police...
View ArticleThieves target tobacco in knifepoint robbery
The knifepoint robbery of a Huntly dairy last week highlights the fact that tobacco is increasingly becoming a target for criminals, say police.Four youths entered the Riverside Dairy and threatened...
View ArticleDog destroyed after attack on 4-year-old
A dog that attacked a woman and her 4-year-old brother in Tauranga has been destroyed.The unregistered staffordshire bull terrier-cross was destroyed on Friday after the attack in which the 23-year-old...
View Article